The Sword of Iskandar: Part Five: Queen
by Gillen1962
Summary: Secrets begin to come to light. Elizabeth and Tom have a serious conversation about Steve, Anna and Laura discuss her kidnapping. Lulu confronts Peter with new information. Molly leaves for the Cassadine Castle. Sonny and Jason have their first conversation in a long while and Ethan, Annie and Terry show Sam the fun she has been missing as the hunt for David Gray heats up.


_The Sword of Iskandar: Part Five: Queen_

The last thing Peter August wanted to do was go home. The day had been lousy and the week even worse. He had sold a majority stock in his paper the Intruder to Prescot Floyd the former Mayor of Port Charles. He had to do it; it was the only way to keep the paper afloat. Print media was dying a slow death and the Intruder had been on life support when he purchased it in the first place.

The agreement with Floyd had left him full editorial control, all he had to give up was the opinion page and the Publisher's editorial

Floyd had wasted no time in endorsing Charlie Holt for Governor. Peter was not sure he would not have ended up endorsing Holt in the long run, he had not even begun to look into the choices, but that had been taken out of his hands. And that he did not like.

"Peter, what the hell is this?" His star reporter Lulu Falconeri shouted as she came into his office.

Apparently, Peter thought as he glanced out at the setting sun. He was not the only one who did not like it.

Elizabeth Webber came down the stairs into her living room, having settled her two youngest boys in front of "Into the Spider-Verse" for what must have been the 3000th time. She was not at all surprised when her Husband Franco sat down to watch it with them. He was giving her time alone with her Uncle, and he was as obsessed as the boys with that film

"Thanks for waiting while Lulu and I got the kids home." She said to her Uncle Tom Hardy who was waiting for her in the living room.

"Not a problem. You have really great boys by the way Elizabeth you should be proud."

Elizabeth smiled. Compliments on her boys were the best kind of compliments. "Thank you. "

"My Mother, says they are always a joy to baby sit."

Tom's Mother, Elizabeth's step-grandmother Audrey Hardy was her rock and a compliment even second hand from her was even more special to Elizabeth.

"Gram is so amazing. I was so happy the two of you came to dinner last Sunday. "Elizabeth paused trying to say something without offending this man. "She is so happy to have you home."

Tom nodded. "Especially after so many years away. I was not a good son, Elizabeth, or a good uncle."

Elizabeth flipped her hand. "You are here now."

He shook his head. "Yes, for Mom and for you and the boys, even Hayden if she will have me, but it seems that I arrived too late for my nephew."

"Is that what you wanted to talk about? Steven Lars?'

"Elizabeth I am very worried about him." Tom said.

Sinclair Dunbar adjusted the black cummerbund of his rented Tux, once again. "I do not understand why you Tux is so fashionable and mine is so terribly generic" He said to his cousin Ethan Lovett.

Ethan in a dark purple Tux jacket over a traditional pair of black slacks, topped with a colorful Mardi Gras festive cummerbund and bow tie on a lighter purple shirt smiled and said. "Because I got my Tux days ago and you borrowed money off of me an hour ago to rent yours"

"I will pay you back cousin"

"Sinclair, I was going to make sure you did."

Dunbar was about to add something when the three women accompanying the men stepped into the room.

Simultaneously the cousins let out a low whistle. Dr. Terry Roberts was by far the tallest of the trio, but Annie Donnelly and Sam McCall were wearing heels of various heights so that all three women appeared to be the same height or close.

Annie stood on the left; her bright red hair tied hard to the left side of her freckled face. Her dress was cut out like a puzzle piece, the dress zigged and zagged across her body flowing from deep green to bright red in fabric, but leaving large patches covered in a nude mesh mostly on her left. Terry Roberts stood on the right, her dress two zigged and zagged across her body with the right side covered in the nude mesh. In the middle looking very unhappy was Sam McCall, her dress had the least amount of fabric running mostly down the middle, leaving her sides covered in the mesh.

It took a second of looking, forcing yourself past how beautiful each of the women were before you realized the dresses were puzzle pieces, the covered fabric of Annie's Dress matched the flows on the right side of Sam's and Terry's dress fit like a glove into the left side of Sam's.

"Well at least David Gray is not going to have a problem spotting us, you will be the most beautiful women at the Lazarus Ball."

"That is part of the idea" Said Annie. "We can't tell for sure he is going to show up. But if he does, we want to arrest him, and get the sword of Iskandar back."

"Can we kind of also remember we are here to book some acts for the club" Ethan said with a grin.

Terry smiled. "Behave Ethan."

Annie walked over and hooked her arm through Ethan's "Exactly, business first and then if you are a good boyo maybe we will let you see how these dresses fit together."

"No, we will not!" Snapped Sam.

Terry dropped her arm around Sam and said. "You have no idea what you are missing."

Sam looked both appalled and frightened.

"Hey, I am here as well" Said Sinclair.

"Sure, Survey you can clean up after the party." Annie said as she began to lead them out of the hotel room

Sinclair began to answer but Ethan stepped over to him and said. "You have nowhere to go that isn't past PG-13 cousin."

Scotty Baldwin was getting annoyed. Not that annoyed was an unusual state for him. He had now told WSB East Coast Director Anna Devane and Mayor of Port Charles Laura Webber the same story of Jennifer Hutchinson's mini break down of the night before three times. And Anna still had questions.

"So, she seemed to snap out of it as soon as your Sister got there?"

"Yes" Scotty said again. "Look you really need to talk to Tom; he was the one treating her."

"Oh, I have every attention of talking to Tom Hardy." Anna said. "Laura, I need you to give Mac a call and arrange for twenty-four-hour police protection for you and Kevin."

"Because of this girl?"

Anna shook her head. "No. Well yes, not that I doubt your capabilities of handling a girl like Jennifer Hutchinson but because of what I think she represents."

"Which is what?" Said Scott "The nut bird squad."

"I need to talk to Soumia, Laura can you come with me? And maybe call Kevin and Tom and ask them to meet us at the house?"

"Yes of course." Said Laura "But why Soumia?"

Anna looked at her friend. "Because I think that when Alex kidnapped you, she used Andre and Dr. Cabot's process and copied your memoires and somehow Jennifer Hutchinson has them."

Dev felt like he should have stayed at Kelly's with Josslyn, Nisida and Cameron. He was having fun. This was anything but fun. He knocked again.

Sonny Corinthos opened the door to his home and said. "What do you want. I did not call you here?"

Dev hung his head. He knew his life was in Sonny's hands. Sonny was aware that it had been Dev who betrayed him to Marijian Shehu. Sonny had spared his life and made him his mole in the PCPD.

Sonny looked up and down the street "Get inside."

As soon as the door closed Sonny spun around. "Do not ever come here again. I will tell you where we meet."

"I'm sorry said Dev."

Sonny shook his head. Lilly the ghost of his late wife who was never far from him placed her hand on Sonny's arm. "The boy looks troubled. Help him."

Sonny shook his head, the motioned for Dev to follow him to the kitchen. "If anyone asks you were here to see Kristina."

Dev nodded. "Yessir."

"Make me a cup of tea while you explain why you are here" Sonny ordered.

Dev set to work making the tea and said. "I was involved in the arrest in Sonyea the ones with the girls?"

"I saw it on the news." Sonny said flatly. "What about that bring you to me?"

"You need to do something about this, to help them, to stop this." Dev said.

"I do?" Sonny said raising an eyebrow. "For you?"

"No, No" Dev said. "I know that it is me in your debt. For these girls, you must still have the contacts to reach out to whoever is doing this. Sonny they had those girls chained like slaves."

Karen and Stone both appeared and sat down next to Lilly at the kitchen table. Sonny rubbed his eyes.

"This sounds like a Mac and PCPD problem. Not something for me to be concerned with."

Karen toss her head. "Typical, make them strippers Sonny, but don't raise a hand to help."

"Sonny you know the rules that the PCPD has to play by, the guys we arrested will be back on the streets by the end of tomorrow. "

"They did a good job locking up those guys who hurt Kristina." Sonny said.

"They confessed Sonny. These guys lawyered up." Dev pleaded.

Sonny raised an eyebrow. "So, are you asking me a favor? Are you coming to me, here at my home, while my daughter sleeps upstairs having nightmares because of the monsters you let into our lives and asking me a favor!"

Dev would have felt better if Sonny had screamed that at him. Instead he said it so low and steady that Dev shivered from head to toe.

"Sonny" Stone said. "Why are you picking on this kid"

Sonny held up his hand. Dev had seen him do this before. Motioning and talking to things in the room only he could see.

"Are you asking me a favor Dev?" Sonny said holding out his hand palm down.

Dev scrambled over and kissed Sonny's ring. "Yes, Mr. Corinthos, I am asking you a favor."

"I own you already Dev. But this puts you further in my debt, do you understand?"

"Yes."

"I am going to collect on that debt very soon."

"I understand." Dev said.

Sonny nodded. "My phone is on my desk in the living room go bring it to me."

Dev started to walk out. He stopped and poured the hot water into the cup with the tea bag to let it seep first.

Sonny smiled

"What are you doing Sonny?" Karen asked when Dev left the room.

"Getting redemption of course." He answered.

Alexandria Quartermaine sat in a lounge chair on the patio of the Taub mansion looking up at the night sky. Alistair Dunbar came out onto the deck and coughed.

She sighed, "What?"

"A text message from my nephew Sinclair."

"Has he found that idiot yet?"

"Apparently Gray has the sword, but Sinclair believes he is still in New Orleans and is tracking him."

Alexandria waited.

Alistair coughed again and said. "Apparently there has been a complication."

"And I suppose this complication has a name?"

"Annie Donnelly and Ethan Lovett." Alistair said.

"Of course," sighed Alexandria "Alistair make it very clear to Sinclair that under no circumstances is Gray to escape with that Sword."

"Yes Madame."

"The last thing I need is that idiot going to Malkooth and declaring himself king."

"Would that work madame? I mean. that entire country is in rebellion, forces for the Monarchy, forces for democracy and those following the Basil cult, all vying to rule. Frankly Madame I am not sure which side we are on. Or why we care."

Alexandria smiled. "Why we care, is none of your business. As to which side we are on. Well that depends. If I thought Gray would use that sword to declare himself King, rally troops and then once he was on the throne continue to obey me, then I would happily support his little fantasy."

"But you do not think he will do that?"

"No." Alexandria said. "Unlike you and your nephew it seems that Mr. Gray has a fatal flaw."

"What is that Madame?" Dunbar asked.

"David Gray the old fool has become a patriot. He will declare himself King, restore peace to his land and close it off from our purposes."

"So, he cannot be allowed to return there with the Sword."

"No. We need the Sword and then we will be decided to use it for the Partisans or the Basil Cult."

"So that you rule Malkooth?"

"I could care less about ruling some postage stamp country in the middle of the Accursed Mountains, fool. I wish to use it, not rule it."

Alistair nodded. "Ms. Bentley has been waiting for nearly two hours Madame."

"I am aware of that." Alexandria said. "How is the girl?"

"Confused."

"Still?"

"Yes."

Alexandria shook her head. "I have tried to avoid this. I want you to deliver a message, tonight, to Spoon Island. Tell Liesel Obrecht that I am summing her, she will be here tomorrow before Nine."

"And if she refuses?"

"Then tell her I will happily call Valentin and inform him of her role in my return."

"Very well Madame."

In her hotel room in London Molly Cassadine Lansing chatted on Skype with her Uncle Valentin.

"I think I have all the information I can get here in London, Uncle" Molly said.

"I agree it seems that Alexandria's time there was brief." Valentin said, "Will you go to South Africa or Greece next?"

"She was in South Africa far longer, than here or even Greece, at least according to her story. But if we are correct and she was brought back by the same process as was used on Stavros and Jason then Castle Cassadine is likely the place that was done."

"Again, I agree" Said Valentin. He hesitated. "Molly, you must promise to be very careful at the Cassadine Castle. It is a dangerous place."

"I know Uncle."

"No" He shook his head. "I respect you Molly. "

Molly smiled at that statement. She enjoyed that while he was protective her Uncle always treated her as an equal, a respect she never got from her Mother.

He went on. "But as much as I do, Castle Cassadine is a cesspool. There is a reason why Stefan, Nicholas and Myself have made our home here on Spoon Island "He chuckled. "And it has nothing to do with the pleasant upstate New York Winters or the warm opening arms of the community."

Molly laughed. Humor was a new aspect for Valentin, she hoped that she had brought that to him. "I know that Helena likely has it riddle with traps."

"Yes, there is that." Valentin said. "But the staff, villagers and retainers may be twice as dangerous. I am forbidden by tradition and Mikkos' will, from dismissing them en mass, but they are a diverse and dangerous lot: Some with loyalty still to your long dead Grandfather, some to Helene, a small group to Stefan and Stavros, more to Nicholas and far too few to myself. They also reflect the political and social climate of the Balkans, with Greeks, Albanians, Kosovars and Malkothians all at each other's throat off and on as things change in the area."

Molly nodded her understanding as Valentin went on "I will of course inform my people to be fully cooperative. The Mikkos partisans are now too old to be much danger, and I doubt those leaning towards Nicholas would hurt you given he loved you but those following Stavros and Helena? And who are convinced beyond reason that both are alive, will be a problem. Moreover for you the Albanians will never be welcoming after your …." He paused looking for the word. "Elimination of Hasanpapa"

"Would they even know him?" Molly asked

Valentin shrugged. "Rumors in isolated areas do fly and most of them would not look beyond your killing of an Albanian to see what a monster he was. And of course, there is the war in Malkooth between those looking to restore the Monarchy, those who wish a democracy of a kind and some cult leader, Basil."

"Why would they drag A Cassadine into that mess?"

"We are distantly related to the Malkoth royal family via Mikkos' grandmother Katya. As such there are those who may think we wish to restore the monarchy."

Molly laughed. "David Gray tried to kill me in France, Uncle, he is the last person I would help put on the throne of any country."

"Nevertheless, be careful Molly." Valentin said.

"I am past worrying about Steven Lars" Elizabeth Webber said to her Uncle Tom Hardy. "He has become so toxic I cannot have him around my boys."

"I can see that." Tom said. "I keep coming over here and trying to apologize for the way your Father and I treated you guys growing up. I really do want to make amends and start on a fresh playing field. But To help Steven I need to know what he was like before. Which means admitting how embarrassed I am that I did not know."

Elizabeth put her hand on Tom's knee. "Let's do this. Let's say I, and my boys, and since I am sure she feels the same way Hayden, all accept your apology."

"No." Tom shook his head. "I appreciate that. But Elizabeth your father and mother ,and I: we were not here during that darkest time of your life. I can never make up for that. "

"Can I ask you something?"

He nodded. "Sure"

"Did my mother call you about my rape? I mean I didn't tell her till months later when Gram finally convince me I should. "

"No, neither your mother nor father reached out to me, Your Grandmother let it slip years later when she called me to tell me you had Cameron. "

"Then why feel guilty. If the people who were supposed to be in my corner were not, if they were replaced by Gram, and Lucky and Bobbie and later Laura, why should you feel bad. "She paused.

Tom saw the tears in her eyes.

Elizabeth went on "When I told my mother, she put my father on speaker phone. My father simply asked" 'You are all right now?' Of course, I lied. I was not alright, no woman who is raped is ever alright again. But I told them what they wanted to hear and never looked back."

Tom reached out and hugged his niece.

"So, can we end this stuff about forgiving you? You are forgiven, Uncle" Elizabeth said.

He smiled. She looked at him. "You know something about Steven, you would not have dragged all that up if you didn't. Did something happen to him in prison?"

Tom nodded. "I called some contacts in the Bureau of Prisons and did some checking around. It seems that when he first got to prison Steve had some well, some very traumatic run ins with a group from an Atlanta street gang. In inmate terms he was made to 'hold the pocket' of the gang leader."

"Hold the pocket?" Elizabeth said.

"A sign of subservience and sexual conquest" Tom said

"Oh my."

"After several months though things change. Steve found some protection with a group called the European Circuit."

"And they are?"

"A white supremacist street gang, vaguely associated with the New Wave political party"

Elizabeth felt sick. "But that was just for protection in prison, right? He can't feel that way, now can he?"

Tom Hardy took a deep breath "I am just not sure."

He was about to say something else when his phone rang. "Excuse me" he said to Elizabeth.

She nodded. He got up and walked a bit away. Elizabeth sat on her couch trying to process what she had learned. On the one hand she felt sorry for her brother, she knew some of the pain he must have been feeling, but there was no excuse to take your pain out on other people.

"Elizabeth, I'm sorry, that was Anna Devane, she wants me to meet she and the mayor at Dr. Al-Fayheed's house."

"Soumia? Are she and Lucky all right?"

Tom nodded. "Yes, it seems they may have a lead on why Alex Devane briefly kidnapped Laura. And they want to consult with Soumia and I."

"Go, we can talk later, maybe bring Hayden into the conversation?"

"I'd like that" He stopped. "I know I have no right to ask this, but as your Uncle, can you please keep some distance from Steven until we talk."

Elizabeth did not like being told what to do, but she had also never been asked anything in such a paternal way, she would give Tom this one. "Yes, Uncle I will."

"Lulu do you even care what kind of a headache I have?" Peter asked.

"I care that this paper is endorsing someone that is very suspect." Lulu Snapped.

"It wasn't my idea."

"It's your paper."

"Yes, which Iknow share with investors. Sorry Lulu there is a reality of business that you seem to miss sometimes."

"You needed money?" She asked.

"Yes"

"Why?"

"To run the paper" his head was really hurting.

Lulu flopped down in a chair. "Peter, why not just take it out of your accounts?"

"My account? Like my checking account the one with 1500 bucks in it. Lulu be realistic."

Lulu shook her head. "My God, this isn't a scam." She looked at him. "A few weeks ago, you asked me to look into where Faison got the money to commit all the crimes he did, so I started at the easiest place. Looking at your finances."

"And you found a nearly bankrupt paper and a maxed-out credit card." Yelled Peter.

"No. I found corporate ownership of three nuclear reactors in the Balkans and oil wells in Mexico, and Venezuela."

"Excuse me?"

"Peter, stop lying. You are rich. Like really rich."

Peter collapsed into his office chair. 'What, why didn't you come to me right away?"

"You asked me to investigate. I am in the middle of my investigation."

Peter shook his head. "And sometimes when you find things out you interview the subject. If I had known this, I would not have had to sell the editorial page to the likes of Prescott Floyd. Damn its Lulu. Where are these nuclear reactors?"

"You want to see them?"

"I want to understand how in the hell I own them, and maybe leverage them to get my paper back."

Lulu sat back and templed her fingers "Excellent, excellent, Mister Burns."

"Too Soon"

"Okay, the nuclear reactors provide about 80% of the power to three Balkan nations and sit on the adjoining borders of the three."

"And they are?"

"Albanian, Kosovar and Malkooth."

Jason had come in the kitchen door of Sonny's house and was curious as to why Dev was there drinking tea with Sonny. Once Dev had explained why, he was less curious and more displeased.

"This seems to be a matter for the police, Sonny." He said then turned to Dev. "You joined the PCPD, work with Mac and Chase they have a better chance of moving this along then we do,"

Sonny looked around the room. Lilly had been joined by Karen, Stone and the ever-silent Claudia. He held up his hand as much to get them to stop speaking as to silence Jason.

"Hang on a second, Jason."

Jason shook his head. "Sonny you swore when I came into the Construction Business with you that we were going to be as straight and narrow as was allowed. I understand greasing a few palms at the unions. Even looking somewhat intimidating to the competition. But what business is this of ours?"

"The warehouse the girls were found in is still listed as belonging to the Ruiz Corporation."

"Are you seriously trying to tell me that Father Mateo is smuggling in undocumented sex workers?" Jason said with a scoff.

Sonny sat back in his chair. He was not sure how to handle this. Jason never talked back. Never questioned. He did what was asked. And when on the rare occasion he did have questions he was never like this, never sarcastic. How did Jason even learn sarcasm. Sonny had known for years that Jason bounced back what he was fed. He, Carly and Sam were never snarky it was not in their personalities. Had this new girl taught this to Jason. If she had, Sonny did not like it,

Sonny looked at Dev and nodded his head slightly.

"The PCPD has determined that Father Mateo had leased the property to a rental agency. He had no prior knowledge who the property was being rented to." Dev said.

Jason nodded. "Well I am not surprised at that. But I am still not seeing why this is our business Sonny. The Ruiz family has been 100% legitimate since Mateo became the last surviving member."

"Yes, they have been." Said Sonny. "For our purposes the fact that it is Mateo's property lies in the fact that Corinthos Construction was bidding on turning that particular warehouse into artist lofts. The whole Sonyea neighborhood is due for renovation under the Mayor's new economic council. I already spoke to that little squirrely kid she has working there now…what's his name the one related to Luke?"

"Sly" Jason said.

"Yeah Sly. I spoke to him about the bid. But no one is going to want to move into that neighborhood with this kind of stuff going on, so the projects will be put on hold. The faster we clean this out the better our business is going to be."

Jason shook his head. "Okay, okay. We still have aa lot of contacts in that area. Guys who owe us favors. I can ask around. "

"Good" said Sonny.

"But Sonny, anything I find we give to the police. Period. I call Chase he and I sit down, and I tell him everything. It is the only way I am going to do this."

"Jason" Said Sonny his eyes twinkling "I would not have it any other way."

Karen smirked. Claudia smiled and it looked like there was a tear in Lilly's eye.

"You have to admit EMO" Annie said with a wide grin. "New Orleans rocks parties"

Sam had to smile, there were several hundred people at the Lazarus ball, all of them dressed as colorfully or more than Sam and her four companions .

They had split up to cover more ground looking for David Gray, but Sam was beginning to think it was hopeless. Between the crowds and the music and the costumes they were looking for the legendary needle in a haystack.

On the other side of the room. Sinclair Dunbar looked at the text message from his uncle and cringed. How did Alexandra expect him to get Gray and the Sword without having the Port Charles Quartet get in the way?

He took another long sip of his drink and shook his head. Alastair was the head of the family, he understood that, he understood that the Dunbar's existed as con artist and grifters and that the guild rules required a family head. But Alistair getting them in deeper and deeper with Alexandria Quartermaine rubbed him the wrong way. Alistair said it was a big score better then bilking old ladies out of their fortune or selling mythical band equipment in small towns. And given the money that was flowing into his pockets Sinclair agreed with that, but they were not conning nay one, they were not practicing their trade. All they were was glorified goons.

He walked over to the bar for refill when a voice behind him said. "Head out the back-door Sinclair. I would hate to kill you" He felt the gun in his ribs Well what do you know he had found Gray. He pulled on the cuff link of his right wrists and said "No problem"

Annie heard the buzz in her ear and took pout her phone. Sinclair. She turned to Sam "Come on."

She tapped out a message quickly on her phone to Ethan.

The benefits of working with a Super-Spy Sam thought as Annie dragged her across the dance floor and out towards an exit onto Main Street. Annie had equipped them all with trackers. If they got separated, or if they spotted Gray all they needed to do was activate the tracker and the others would be alerted.

They got outside just second before Ethan and Terry. The crowd out here was still big, still loud and still colorful. Annie looked at her watch. "He is headed down Royal"

Sinclair tried to keep his pace as slow as he could but Gray kept nudging him along. Soon they were at the edge of the Mississippi. Gray led him down to the docks and across a plank onto a Cabin Cruiser.

"Why are you still doing her bidding Sinclair do you know what she will do to my nation?" Gray asked.

"You did not seem so concerned a few weeks ago" Sinclair snapped as Gray motioned him to a seat and took a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket.

Ethan and the three women were heading down royal as fast as they could. Annie yelled. "Hold up. Toons plan B, we need more speed."

Dr. Terry Randolph stopped and nodded. She found a spot maybe three inches above her knees on the long gown. Terri tugged at the side of her long dress and pulled. The dress tore like the perforated edges of a paper freeing her long legs for running.

Annie did the same and yelled out to Sam "EMO?"

"This tears? All the way up there" Sam snapped.

Terri came over and pulled the edge of Sam's dress tearing it while Sam stood dumbfounded. "You should see the other places it's designed to tear Samantha." She said with a twinkle in her eye

Annie tossed her shoes in the gutter and took off on a run. Terri right behind her.

"Where in the hell did you find them?" Sam said to Ethan and they followed behind.

"Found the good doctor in Port Charles and Annie in biker bar in Santa Monica she was holding three guys back with a broken beer bottle yelling 'One step more and you won't be able to have sons for any anarchy'"

"That was a rhetorical question." Sam said

The Cruiser was pulling from the dock as they arrived. Annie took off on a bolt and landed on the deck, Ethan one step behind her. Sam reared back and leapt nearly falling, except for the quick hands of Ethan pulling her on board.

The Doctor her legs longer than even Ethan's made an impressive landing on the deck. "Not bad Toons, we'll make a spy out of you yet baby "Annie said.

Gray spun his gun on the new arrivals. "All of you stand down."

Ethan grinned. "Good to see you again mate. Why not hand over the sword and let's be off."

"I will not surrender my nation to the likes of Alexandria Quartermaine no matter how many thugs she sends after me." Gray snapped back

Annie smiled. "You are outnumbered and out gunned."

From below deck, as if on cue four men all armed with Uzi's stepped out. "Your majesty should we kill the interlopers?"

Gray ignored them for a moment and instead asked. "Is the sword secure?"

"Yes Sire."

"Disarm them, then secure them. We will bring the son of my greatest enemy back to our Kingdom and he and his friends shall be our first royal execution."

"Son of his greatest enemy?" Sam asked.

"Luke"

"That man is bad news everywhere."

As the gun men began to lead them below deck Annie suddenly spun round and shoved Terri overboard. "I hope you get LUCKY" She shouted as she heard her friend hit the water.

One of the gunmen turned to fire but before Annie could bump him or Ethan step between Gray yelled. "Do not waste the bullets, likely she will drown. And there is nothing she can do anyway."

"She is a lot more resourceful then your think Davey" Ethan said.

A gunman smacked him. "Do not talk back to our King, Son of his greatest enemy."

"Oh, for Christ sakes call him Ethan" Annie yelled.

Sam was deeply concerned that Ethan and Annie seemed to be having fun.

Lucky Spencer came out of the kitchen with a tray filled with coffee mugs. In his living room sat his boss Anna Devane, His mother Mayor Laura Webber, her husband psychiatrist Kevin Collins, his co-worker Tom Hardy and his newly minted fiancé Soumia Al-Fayheed.

Lucky's hopes of a peaceful romantic evening celebrating privately with Soumia had died when the doorbell rang. And Anna had announced as she walked in "We figured out why my sister kidnapped your mother."

Now the two psychologists and his fiancé an expert of memory transference were discussing what may have happened.

"Again, the idea that we are transplanting memories, or erasing some one's memories is absurd, as I reviewed with Drew the other day, memories are like files on a laptop, they really cannot be erased short of totally destroying the hard drive or in this case the mind. Religious beliefs about souls aside, your memories only die when you do."

Laura shook her head. "But the whole Drew and Jason thing."

Soumia nodded. "I am not saying that we cannot take a memory from one person and implant it in another person. Jerry Jacks did it to Lucky only a few months ago. But that does not overwrite the other memories. It simply implants them on top of."

"And so, this Jennifer now has Laura's memories?" Kevin asked.

"That is our working theory yes" Anna said.

"She seems to have both memories" Tom commented. "With one set overriding the other at various times."

"Like a computer virus over writing the files on your computer. "Soumia said "Miss Laura's memories are a bug in the programming of Jennifer's mind."

"But why me?"

Anna nodded "Good question."

"No" Said Tom. "The question is not why Laura, but why Laura from that time frame. She wasn't acting like the Mayor acts now, she was much younger, much more innocent."

"I think I am insulted" Laura said with a smile.

Lucky laughed. "Don't be Mom, everyone is like that as a teen And Dr. Hardy has a point, why that time frame."

"Do you think it has anything to do with the girls age?" Kevin asked. "She would be just slightly older than Laura in the period we are thinking of."

"Why would Alexandria Quartermaine want a memory duplicate of the 'me' that she used to torment all those years ago."

"Hmm "Lucky said. "We have been looking so hard on the idea that Jenny was can we say channeling Mom from the time when she was first Scott's girlfriend, we haven't looked at when those memories end. Do they go all the way up to the time she worked for Alexandria?"

"Or past that?" Soumia said.

Kevin shook his head. "What if we look at Soumia's idea that the memories are a virus a worm, slowly rewriting the computer of Jennifer's mind to reach a certain point."

"That would be a complete re-working of the process as we know it" Said Soumia "But theoretically it is possible. Especially if the memory the person is looking for is a very specific one and …no that is impossible."

"What?" Aske Laura.

"The person looking for the memory could be looking for an obscure memory, so slowing the transfer down allows them to look for something very specific but they would need to know, well everything, right down to the place and time."

"I don't understand" Anna said.

"The mind" Tom answered. "Literally remembers everything we have ever seen, heard, touched, experienced, if we consciously recalled all that we would go mad. Imagine remembering every detail of everything, it would drive you insane."

"But it is all still there, we are using the word remembering but really we should say accessing" Said Kevin.

"So, you are saying Alexandria is using this girl to get to a specific memory of mine, that I don't know I have?"

"It's possible."

"The only way to know for sure is to examine Jennifer." Soumia said.

"And how do we do that? She has not committed a crime." Said Tom.

Lucky nodded. "No but we may at least be able to bring her in for questioning concerning Mom's kidnapping."

Terri Randolph reached her hand to the top of the dock and tried to pull up. She was exhausted and cold she had to get out of the water before hypothermia set in. While swimming she was able to keep her blood flowing and body warm, but here now with little movement the cold was getting to her. She pulled again and suddenly a strong hand reached out and pulled her up.

"Hang on Girlfriend I got you" Said a deep voice with a hard-southern Accent.

She was pulled up and lay for a second on the dock panting. A large African American man in a red see through blouse, a tight black shirt and heels said, "You all right Girl?"

She smiled. "Yes, thanks hon."

"Some hater gets to you?" Her savior asked.

"Not the kind we are used to" Terri said holding on to her new friend as she was helped up.

She was shivering and just like that a thick feathered boa was draped across her shoulder. The person who gave it to her was thin with a five-o clock shadow and dressed to the nines "Here you go sweetie. Look there is no shame in telling Gigi and I if it was haters."

"Nah, it was a nut job though. Either one of you have a cell phone I can borrow?"

Gigi handed her one.

"Thanks."

"You calling the NOPD?" Gigi asked.

"Nope I'm calling Lucky Spencer of the WSB"


End file.
